57 THE STONES

CHAPTER 57 THE STONES At first light, Roz nudged Brightbill awake, and the travelers continued north through the mountains. The goose stood on his mother's shoulder as she marched. His eyes darted around nervously, searching for any sign of the wolves. But the wolves were gone. And our friends turned their attention to a new problem. The weather out there was always changing. Roz and Brightbill had seen many calm, sunny days suddenly turn to wind or fog or sleet, or even snow. Our friends expected bad weather, so they hardly noticed when heavy rain came sweeping down a valley. But there was something odd about this rain. Brightbill squinted at the oncoming storm and said, "Ma, why is the rain bouncing off the ground?" Bouncing rain? That didn't seem right. The robot's computer brain went to work and she found the correct word. "That is not rain," she said. "That is hail."

CLANG! A hailstone bounced off Roz's chest. Another one swooshed into the weeds. Then the sky opened up and hailstones were everywhere. They tore through leaves and branches. They ricocheted off rocks and roots. They flattened flowers and bushes. To the robot, the hailstones were annoying. To the goose, they were deadly. A stone hit Brightbill's shoulder and he fell to the ground. Roz scooped him up, hunching over, protecting him from the falling stones, but the hailstorm might kill the poor bird if they couldn't find cover soon. Frantically, the robot scanned the area for any type of shelter. And there it was. On the far side of the valley, beside a winding river, was a cabin. It was old and shabby, but it had a roof, and that's what our friends needed most. Roz held her son close, pumped her legs, and thundered across the valley. Heavy hailstones hissed into the grass and squelched into the mud and clanged off our robot. There was a soft thump, and Brightbill cried out in pain. Roz bounded over the rushing river in a single leap, landed without breaking stride, and kept running. Now she could hear hailstones cracking against the cabin, louder and louder. The robot

stomped up to the front door, turned the handle, and stepped inside.